Millet Pilaf with Dried Cranberries {gluten-free & vegan}

This simple millet pilaf with dried cranberries is a great vegan & gluten-free alternative to stuffing at Thanksgiving or anytime!

Make Pilaf a Modern Meal Staple

Hi, everyone! Today I’m posting about a tried & true dish worth revisiting: pilaf.

Alas, pilaf has been marginalized (along with fricassees, stroganoffs, aspics and all things devilled) as a dish reminiscent of 1950s home economics classes: outdated, and bereft of style and fashion.

If people are familiar with pilaf at all, it is only as an oily buffet offering, studded with limp carrot and celery cubes. Who would bother making pilaf?

I would, that’s who, and I hope by the end of this posting I will have convinced a handful of others, too.

Make Pilaf with Millet, a Supergrain

Pilaf can be made with any variety of grains, but rice is the most common. To switch things up, today’s recipe uses a different grain, the ancient grain millet.

Millet is a gluten-free, allergen-free, alkaline, low-glycemic grain, plus 1 cup of cooked millet contains about 6 grams of protein. It is also very inexpensive and perfect in pilaf!

Now, back to the pilaf. Two steps make a pilaf a pilaf: first, the grains are briefly cooked in a scant amount of oil or butter; second, a flavorful liquid is added to the grains to make them tender.

Once the grains have been cooked in the liquid, other foods can be added to the pot—think vegetables, tofu, chicken, beans, seafood; you name it. As you’ve probably guessed, pilaf can escape its side dish subjugation and enter the world of entrees with a few hearty additions.

That’s it—an ideal everyday dish in minutes with countless flavor combinations. Happy eating, everyone!

1. 1. Flourless Apple Millet Muffins
   2. Vegan Millet Kale Quiches
   3. Millet Apricot Energy Bars (no-cook, 5 ingredients)
   4. Toasted Millet Banana Muffins
   5. Curried Millet with Raw Apple Relish
   6. Carrot Cake Millet Breakfast Bars {Low Fodmap}

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